Raptors might not have Immanuel Quickley to start playoffs against Cleveland

New ailment to go with plantar fasciitis making things worse for Toronto's starting point guard

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Published Apr 13, 2026  •  Last updated 34 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

Toronto Raptors' Immanuel Quickley (5) drives past Miami Heat's Kasparas Jakucionis (25) during first half NBA basketball action in Toronto on Thursday, April 9, 2026. Photo by Nathan Denette /THE CANADIAN PRESS

The Toronto Raptors knew that Immanuel Quickley wasn’t going to magically heal up in time for the playoffs. That just doesn’t happen with plantar fasciitis.

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But now there’s concern the team’s starting point guard might not be ready to play on Saturday in Game 1 at Cleveland.

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The Raptors announced Monday that Quickley, who missed nine of 12 games to finish the regular season with his foot ailing, will be considered day to day after a Sunday MRI revealed Quickley also has a mild hamstring strain. Though we’re not a doctor, lower-body injuries are often connected and Quickley had hinted last week that more than just the plantar fasciitis had been affecting him.

Defensive stalwart needed against Cavs

Even if Quickley can play for all or some of the Cleveland series, it’s unlikely he’ll be anywhere close to 100%. While that’s not the end of the world offensively, as long as he can still pull up and hit three-pointers and handle the ball a bit, Toronto needs all hands on deck defensively to try to contain superstar guards Donovan Mitchell, a perennial MVP candidate, and James Harden, one of the best players of his generation and still close to an all-NBA level player himself.

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Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic recently described Quickley as the team’s best on-ball defender, so it’s a massive impediment for the team if he’s hobbled. Scottie Barnes can guard anyone, but he excels against bigger opponents. Ja’Kobe Walter has really come on defensively and Jamal Shead gets after opponents, but the sophomores lack strength and size, respectively.

Toronto had the NBA’s fifth-best defence this season and Mitchell shot just 34.5% in two games against them this season (his lowest against any opponent) and went 3-for-10 when guarded by Walter and 0-for-4 against Quickley, per NBA.com.

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EXPERIENCE FACTOR TILTED

It shouldn’t be a surprise that Cleveland has a massive experience advantage over the Raptors. Toronto’s rotation players have only four combined series wins (Barrett and Quickley over Cleveland, Poeltl as a young Raptor over Milwaukee and Washington nearly a decade ago). Barnes has only even played in one series, Ingram two. Harden alone has won 15 series (and lost another 15). Mitchell has played in 13 series, winning only four.

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Toronto’s top reserves have never played a post-season game (though Sandro Mamukelashvili was on Milwaukee’s roster when it won a round and went seven games in the conference semi-final against Boston).

Barrett said the youngsters will learn quickly that it’s a whole new ball game.

“First things first, there’s a learning curve regardless,” Barrett told a few reporters Sunday. “It doesn’t matter who you are, what you’ve done. If you haven’t played in the playoffs before, it’s a learning curve. It’s it’s craziest basketball I’ve ever played. So those guys definitely, they’re gonna learn. But I think with our team, good part about it is these guys are already physical, and that’s what playoff basketball demands,” Barrett said.

Barrett and Quickley also have some extra experience relevant to this year. “Well, this is going to be interesting, because I’ve already played Cleveland in the playoffs in a four/five matchup (with the Knicks winning that high profile series after Cleveland, and not the favoured Knicks, had traded for Mitchell from Utah),” Barrett said.

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While he said he didn’t care if Toronto ended up playing the Knicks, or the Cavaliers (both were possibilities until later Sunday when Orlando lost in Boston), it might help the green Raptors to not start at the world’s most famous arena (where Vince Carter wilted in the spotlight the first time the Raptors made the playoffs in 2000).

“I like to think for the young guys, it’s probably better to play in Cleveland than at Madison Square Garden for your first game,” Barrett said. “It’s (still) gonna be loud in there, it’s gonna be physical, gonna be on the road. Got to go get one,” he said.

Toronto has lost all seven playoff games in Cleveland and it can be an intimidating environment, just like New York’s home, though this time LeBron James and Kyrie Irving won’t be Toronto’s opposition.

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